Time Out of Joint
by Mary Ruth Keller
Summary: Mrs. Mulder tells Scully a little bit about her partner's adolescence, that was far more painful than most, and how the Cigarette Smoking Man was involved with the Mulder family. Note: This story discusses child abuse, and may not be suitable for all. Pre-XF


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Note to the reader: The stories listed as authored by Mary Ruth Keller are all in a single universe, the Kuxan Sum Cycle. While each is an investigation that stands alone, they should be read in the following order for the plot and character developments to make the most sense.

**The Caroline Lowenberg Trilogy**

_Sins of the Fathers  
__Xibalba  
__Twelfth Night  
_Saytr Play: _Rustic Suite_

**The Dana Scully Trilogy**

Prologue: _Time Out of Joint  
__Passages in Memory  
_Interlude: _Roman de la Pendrell  
__Archaea  
__Zurvan  
_Saytr Play: _Anath_

**The Sandra Ann Miller Trilogy**

_Chermera_

More following...

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_Time Out of Joint _by Mary Ruth Keller

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Lowenberg Home  
Miami, Florida  
Wednesday, January 8, 1997  
9:12 am

"Dana?"

Scully raised her eyes from the second volume on the History of Byzantium she was reading. "Yes, Mrs. Lowenberg?"

The older woman stood before her son's partner with a pensive look Scully recognized all too well. "May I speak with you about Fox?"

Nodding, the agent closed the book, then pulled the matching sea green canvas chair to face her own. Since she had come out to the pool to soak in the warmth and light, Scully was barefoot, lightly dressed in an olive-colored tank top and white canvas shorts.

Her partner was still sleeping, after he had stayed up nearly the whole night watching Hitchcock films with his stepfather, his mother, and herself, but the two women had begged off around midnight.

_Vertigo_ always sent a tingle up Scully's spine, no matter how many times she saw it. She had agreed enthusiastically when Mulder had declared the original version of _The Man Who Knew Too Much_ with Peter Lorre and Nova Pilbeam superior to the James Stewart - Doris Day remake. But, although Scully loved all the moody mysteries of the rotund director from Britain, she saw this vacation as a time of recovery, especially after the weeks on the street.

Caroline had retired when Scully did, reminding her husband they had several meetings with caterers and decorators before lunch.

Margaret had no desire to miss the richly hued sunsets by remaining inside, so she and the Pomeranian had taken a long walk on the beach before wishing the four couch potatoes a good night. She returned to the white sands early this fine, clear morning. The two Scully women shared a love of warm, exotic places by the sea, so Miami in January was a treat for both of them.

Caroline Lowenberg rested one hand on Dana Scully's arm.

The pathologist barely glanced at the gesture. _Now I know who taught him those European manners of his._ She smiled at the white-haired woman, who was quiet as she collected her thoughts.

Once her eyes cleared, Caroline leaned towards her son's partner. "Dana, first, I'd like to thank you for being such a good friend to Fox."

Nervously, Scully twisted the tassel on her bookmark. _Is this going where I think this is? Mom's been dropping too many hints to me._

Ignoring the younger woman's discomfort, Caroline continued. "He never speaks of you to me with anything less than the highest regard."

As Caroline leaned back in her chair, Scully shook her head. "Mrs. Lowenberg, you realize Mulder and I are friends and partners, but that's all we are, all we *can* be. There are too many dangers in pursuing a-" She stopped, confused by the older woman's understanding smile.

"Yes, Dana, that's fine, *wonderful*, in fact. I know Margaret would love it if we were joint Mothers-in-law, but I've been down that road with Fox's Father, so I know how many problems you could have. I was in a slightly superior position to Bill in the Organization, and he never stopped needling me about it after we married." Caroline crossed her arms. "He liked to remind me of my total dependence on him, which never helped."

The pathologist sighed. "Mrs. Lowenberg, you don't - "

The older woman met Scully's concerned gaze. "I'm not saying that's the fate of all colleagues who become involved with each other, in fact, for many, it works out beautifully. But for us, it was pure hell, and for Fox and Sam, too. That's why, if you and Fox continue as close friends, you have my most sincere blessings and thanks. He's had very few of those in his life, and his relationship with Phoebe Green devastated him for years. But if your lives ever simplify, Fox finds Sam, and you two try for something else between you, I would wish for you nothing but joy." Caroline patted the younger woman's shoulder. "I want whatever is best for both of you, and a vital, abiding friendship, such as you two have now, is no small feat. It should never go unappreciated."

The FBI agent took a deep breath. "Thank you, Mrs. Lowenberg. Mom couldn't really comprehend all that's going on, and we dare not tell her, either. You have some idea what we're experiencing, so you do understand."

Caroline waited. _I have a better idea than you'll ever realize._

Scully set the story of the Eastern Roman Empire on a small side table, then clasped her hands in her lap. "Mulder's been good to me, especially after I awoke from my coma. He took responsibility for me following my second surgery last March, when I really was too ill to care for myself." Dropping her voice, she stared at her fingers. "He's such a complex man, Mrs. Lowenberg, I hardly know how to describe him. He was the best nurse to me last year, helping me when I couldn't walk unaided, fixing my meals, and looking after everything around the apartment. But before that, we were so angry with each other, I thought I would have to transfer out of the Section."

The white-haired woman nodded. "He took good care of Sam and me while his Father was gone, then of me after she was taken." Her face darkened. "I'm sorry Bill never appreciated what a fine man he's grown up to be."

The pathologist tipped her head. "Mulder told me about the conversation he had with his Father right before he was shot, Mrs. Lowenberg."

Now, the older woman frowned. "Dana, please call me Caroline. You are entirely too formal with Max and me."

Scully nodded. "Thank you, I will. It's difficult when you were raised in a culture where rank and title are so important. I was always taught to respect my elders that way. When one steps out of that Navy mentality-" _She doesn't need to hear this._ She stretched her arms in front of her. "Thank you for putting Mom and me up like this. It's wonderful to escape winter for a while. But, I think Mr. Mulder appreciated Mulder more than he told you, at least right at the end, anyway. According to Mulder, he hugged him and told him he was smart to think for himself."

Her partner's mother straightened in her seat. "Good. I'm glad Bill finally came to his senses, since that's more affection and praise than he ever gave him growing up."

Scully moved her chair a little closer to the older woman's. "Just exactly how badly did Mr. Mulder abuse him, Caroline?" The name hung thickly on her tongue. "I saw the scars on his back, but all he will say was that he never did anything right. I've read about child abuse victims, real ones that is, not these hypnosis-induced hysterias about sufferings while in the womb. They're afraid to talk about what they've endured, for fear they'll be ridiculed or disbelieved." She sighed. "I'm glad he trusts me enough to share his torments with me, especially since we argue so much about his theories on cases."

Caroline grasped the younger woman's palm. "As I said, he holds you in the highest regard, Dana. He trusts you with his life, so why not with his shame?" She laid Scully's hand back in her lap before she rose to begin pacing. "The physical side of his abuse was the least of it; the words and the silences caused more damage to my son than the blows and punishment ever could."

In her mind's eye, Caroline saw her son walking proudly into his Father's study, a perfect report card of all A's in his hand. A minute or so later, he would emerge, crestfallen, since the older man, after a cursory glance, had only grunted, then tuned back to his paperwork. She couldn't make out the expression on his face, nor see it clearly, because it happened so often the child in her mind could have been anything from six to fourteen.

"Like the sensitive boy he was, Fox believed all the negative things Bill said about him, which he shouldn't have. We worked out a custody-sharing arrangement for him after we separated, but I should have fought harder to keep him all to myself."

Scully shifted on the canvas. "Oh. I never realized there were a custody problems."

Resuming her seat, Caroline sighed. _So many difficulties, my dear._ "The verbal began started shortly after I recovered from having Sam, which was about two years after she was born." Caroline attempted a smile, but the pain overwhelmed the happy memories. "He was never sure he wanted children, then for a while, it looked like I couldn't have any, but he was delighted when our first child was a son. Once Sam began walking, she was all Fox cared about, which Bill hated. When he would bellow, 'I want my boy!' then the pair would skitter away like little mice to hide." The white-haired woman met Scully's eyes, pleading for comprehension and sympathy from the younger woman.

Studying the hands folded in her lap, Scully extended her support. "Caroline, I appreciate you telling me all this, but if this is too much - "

Her lips set in a firm line, the older woman shook her head. "No, Dana, you have a right to know. Fox is closer to you than he's been to anyone but his sister." She leaned forward. "Besides, your lives may depend on you hearing these things one day."

Nodding, the pathologist offered silent agreement.

After a quick glance at the pool, Caroline continued. "If Bill began raging, there was no reasoning with him. He soaked most of his anger out with alcohol, but if Sam made a sound, he would start in on her, telling her she was clumsy or stupid or ugly, until I, or Fox, would stand up to him." She closed her eyes. "If he did, Bill would turn on him, snarling that he was one of the worst sons a man could have, that he was unreliable and untrustworthy. He would work himself up into such a rage, he would turn beet red, and I feared for us all. I can't tell you how many times I called the police to that house in Chilmark."

Scully stood over her. _Poor Mulder._ "But why, Caroline, *why*?"

The white-haired woman rose, realizing for the first time just exactly how small her son's partner was. "Bill was very unhappy with the work, Dana. He didn't like what was happening at the State Department, or wherever he was *really* working, but the only people he could take it out on were us. Fox couldn't know that at the time. All he saw was Bill swearing at me or at Sam. I would let him know quietly that he should back off, but if he started raging when I was ill, Fox would try to take my place, and be upbraided for it."

As they looked over the beach, their feet began treading a path to the water.

The older woman continued. "At first, all it was were tantrums on Bill's part. Then, as his job grew worse, the words became darker and darker. Finally, he began punishing the children with a belt for small offenses, little things like spilling a drink or forgetting to turn out a light." She shook her head. "Now, I never thought such severe corrections were necessary. But, Bill was a strong believer in firm discipline, like the other families I knew from the Vineyard, so I assumed that was how all Americans raised their children."

Scully gazed out over the water, considering how different her life would have been had she grown up under such strict control. Even after all this time, her partner had the tendency to overreact to his small errors, but at least now she could understand why.

The auburn-haired agent glanced up at her elder. "I know this has been difficult, but it helps that you've told me about this, Caroline. I've seen so many scars on him, and I knew they didn't all come from his time in the Bureau."

The white-haired woman regarded her somberly. "No, Dana, you haven't seen it all. Fox was always absentminded, lost thinking about only the matters that interested him."

The women smiled together before Scully tipped up her chin. "You don't travel with him, Caroline." The observation was delivered in her wryest tones.

Caroline glanced at Scully, storing this tid-bit away for later contemplation. "If he was late, didn't dress just so, or spoke slightly out of turn, Bill would cuff him on his chin or his hand." She struggled with her emotions. "I hated him for that most of all, before Sam was taken. My parents never touched me or Isaac, other than to shower us with affection, and we found our way into enough trouble, as children will. But Fox and Sam were just the best kinder a Mother could hope for, quiet, clean, smart, and *so* well-behaved."

They turned and walked south for a few minutes, passing small clumps of people, smiling and nodding.

Scully frowned. "Caroline, forgive my impertinence, please, but I've never felt comfortable asking Mulder about the time after Sam's disappearance. It's so hard for him."

Caroline took a deep breath. "What did you want to know, Dana?"

_Where to begin?_ Scully collected her thoughts for a time before she spoke again. "Was there an investigation?"

The older woman closed her eyes momentarily, remembering the house swarming with reticent, dark-suited men, all questioning her son over and over. "Not much of one. Bill's 'associates' took over from the Vineyard Police almost immediately."

Scully nodded. "I can imagine they would."

Caroline studied the auburn-haired woman's profile before she continued. _Perhaps she will understand._ "I argued with Bill, but he reminded me repeatedly that our marriage was the only thing that kept me from being deported."

Scully's jaw set. _It must have been a nightmare for her._ "There was nowhere for you to go if he threw you out, was there? No family, that you knew of, no relatives?"

Caroline stopped, whispering her reply. "No one. No one at all." She spoke normally. "Since I had refused to choose once, I would no longer be offered a choice ever again, or so I felt." She clutched the younger woman's arm. "But if I stayed, at least I could protect Fox."

The younger woman gently rubbed the back of Caroline's hand. "I understand. You did the only thing you could, under the circumstances."

Caroline nodded. "Thank you."

They began walking again.

The pathologist inhaled. "But as far as Mulder's relationship with his father. Did Sam's kidnapping make it better or worse?"

Caroline shrugged. "It was better, for a while, but then Fox grew up."

Scully stared at her. "What?"

"Yes, he grew up, Dana." Caroline extended her arm up over her head, the palm level. "At thirteen, right about the same time he should have been celebrating his Bar Mitzvah, he grew a foot and a half in about six months, as some boys in my family do."

The agent lifted one corner of her mouth. "So things began to break when he walked around?"

His Mother smiled in return. "Yes. He had no sense of how tall he was, so he would hit his head or knock over lamps, and Bill would shout and punish him repeatedly. But, one time he went too far, and dished out more than I could stand. I knew I had to find some way to put a stop to it." She grew grim.

They walked on, listening to the waves and gulls.

"Oh?" Scully prompted.

"Yes. It was after we separated, Dana. I had to let Bill have Fox for half of every month, so we couldn't live too far apart. I had seen Fox reading Torah, and I was hoping he would reconsider his decision, but-"

"Jephthah's daughter."

Caroline looked over. "What?"

Scully shook her head. "He was reading about Jephthah's daughter. He told me, Caroline, he said he called his Father Jephthah behind his back, but only once to his face."

"Oh, so that was what started it all. I never knew, Dana, I came in after all the damage happened..."

-o-0-o-

West Tisbury, Massachusetts  
Friday, June 16, 1974  
9:17 pm

"What did you say?" Bill Mulder hated his son. _Those sad little eyes, the quiet looks. It was you or her, boy, which would you prefer it would have been? I had to lose one of you._ He stared up into the boy's face. "What did you call me?"

Fox Mulder was just as angry. "Jephthah! Why were you away, Dad? You could have helped me save Sam! But, she's gone, *gone*, and I'll never have her back. Why? Dad, Why?"

Bill Mulder turned away. _You don't want to know._

The boy walked around his Father, looking him in the face. "Dad! Why?"

"It's you, Fox, it's always been you!" He took grim delight in watching his son's face twist up. "It's your fault. I left her in your care, and *you* let them take her, I didn't!"

The boy dropped to his knees. "No, Dad, I tried to save her! I *did*!"

Now he growled in his ear. "No, Fox, you gave her up, didn't you? You failed your Mother and me, you know, we trusted you, but you let us down, boy. You let us down!" He straightened, as his son doubled over, sobbing. "Don't be such a sissy, or I'll give you what you deserve!"

The first blow on the back caught the boy by surprise, rewarding Bill Mulder with a whimper. Then the mask fell in place; the Father's rage broke loose. _I'll teach you yet._

Mulder endured without another sound, which brought out more of the older man's anger, more blows. The only acknowledgment of his suffering was the slow lowering of his head to the braided rug, until the boy's torso was flat on his thighs.

"Had enough?" As he expected, there was no response. "Answer me, boy!" When he shoved the still body with his foot, Fox flopped over on his side, unconscious. _Wimp._ Bill Mulder stalked to the phone.

At the third ring, his wife answered. "Caroline Mulder speaking."

"Caroline!"

"Bill, what is it? Settle down, please."

"Don't tell me to calm down! You have something over here I'd like you to come take away now! Now!" After slamming the phone in its cradle, he turned to view his son, then stalked over to the sofa. He would wait for the child to waken. _It's for his own good, really. A weakling like him will never make it out there if I don't._

In time, the boy stirred. "Dad? Are you there?"

The soft voice enraged him, so Bill bent over Mulder. He was tempted to continue to punish the boy for his own failings, but he saw the blood under his son's nose and mouth. _It's enough._

When Bill reached down, his dark-haired child flinched at his Father's touch. "Dad? Is it really all my fault? Please say it isn't, please?"

The sobbing began again, so he leaned down to whisper more venom in Fox's ear. "It is, it's all your fault. You should have saved her, but you didn't, did you? We trusted you and you let us down. You let us down!"

The near-shout set the boy flinching. "No, I can't - "

Enraged, Bill Mulder stood. "Don't talk back to me, Fox!"

The dark-haired child staggered to his feet. "I'm not Fox! Don't call me that! Call me Mulder! Only Sam can call me Fox!"

Bill slugged him, throwing him hard against the pillar in the living room. When Bill heard a crack, he realized it came from the arm that had struck the building support first, before his son sagged along it to the floor. "You're not worthy of being a Mulder!" Bill saw that the boy was motionless again, then turned as he heard the front door open.

Having seen the last punch her estranged husband threw, Caroline Mulder ran into the room. "Bill! What are you doing? He's your son, your only remaining child." She crossed the room to Fox, cradling the boy's head and shoulders in her arms.

But the Father had turned his back on both of them. "He's not my son anymore. Take him away, Caroline, I never want to see him again."

Waking, Mulder began softly moaning.

Caroline reached for her husband. "Bill, help me!"

Dismissively, the man waved his hand, before walking into his study without a word.

Sensing his mother, Mulder called out to her. "Mom?"

She shushed him. "I'm here, Fox. You'll be all right now."

He shivered. "It hurts, Mom."

She rubbed his back, the circling motion soothing them both. "What hurts, tell me."

He shuddered again. "It hurts."

"Can you walk, Dear? I can't carry you."

Grimacing, the boy leaned heavily on her shoulder, pushed himself to his feet, then wobbled without support as she rose.

She wrapped an arm around his waist. "This way, Fox. We'll take you to a doctor."

-o-0-o-

Chilmark Physician's Hospital  
Chilmark, Massachusetts  
Friday, 10:47 pm

As the receptionist finished speaking into the intercom, the resident on duty entered the emergency room. "I'm Doctor Williams. What seems to be the problem?"

Caroline looked over at her son, white-faced and shaking, huddled on one of the benches. "I'm afraid my boy has fallen and been injured."

The resident nodded. _You're too ashamed to say._ "I'm sorry, Mrs. Mulder. Let me call for an orderly."

When the gurney arrived, Caroline walked beside it, holding her son's hand.

Mulder was twisting on the thin pallet. "Mom?"

She looked down into two frightened hazel eyes.

He bit his lower lip. "Don't let go, please?"

"No, Fox, I'll be here. Just rest and let the doctors take care of you." She kissed his forehead. "They're taking you into the X-ray room right now, and I'll be here, waiting, when you are finished. I need to make a phone call."

He struggled to sit up as the orderlies held him down by his shoulders. "Who, Mom? Don't call Dad, okay?"

She shook her head. "No, Fox, not your Father, but someone who may be able to save you from this ever happening again." As the doors closed, she slipped a dime in the pay phone, realizing whom to call for help. Caroline and Fox Mulder were both at the end of their tether, but she had one man left she could still depend on, so she dialed a Washington phone number. If her Mystery Man had the same habits, he would still be working, and perhaps, just perhaps...

-o-0-o-

Dark Office  
Washington, DC  
Friday, June 16, 1974  
11:02 pm

"Yes?" He puffed the cigarette. "Caroline! What a - " He listened silently. _Bill Mulder has become unstable, an embarrassment. The Organization will have to make a decision about him shortly._ "Very well, Caroline. I'll see what I can do." He began to lift the receiver away from his ear. "Hum? You'd like me to come up there?" He checked his watch. "All right. I'll be there in a few hours."

There was a military plane he could commandeer for just such an occasion, so he dialed in the number. Once reserved, he phoned two other members of the Group. Although the full Consortium would be required to make the final decision, this was essentially the last straw. Bill Mulder was too much in his cups to be trustworthy. That he would treat his own son like this was more than sufficient proof of his incapacity. It had been a sad day, when Mulder had been backed into the Choice, but it had been one of his children or his job.

The Smoking Man locked his office door. _Poor Caroline. If I had taken the initiative, perhaps that boy would not be lying in a narrow hospital bed._ If he had spoken sooner, the two unnaturally quiet children whose pictures had hung on his friend's office wall might have been his. _If he had been mine, if his sister had been mine, none of this would have happened. But neither of them is yours, only Bill's and Caroline's._ He lit a new Morley as he exited into the night.

-o-0-o-

Chilmark Physician's Hospital  
Chilmark, Massachusetts  
Saturday, June 19, 1974  
4:16 am

In a windowless room with mustard-colored walls, Fox Mulder murmured, then Caroline stirred. The boy's legs reached past the edge of the child's bed he lay on, so his mother had dragged a metal chair with avocado green cushions in from the hall to use while she dozed. She raised her head off her crossed arms, where she had rested them on the edge of the mattress by her son's side.

His eyelids flickered. "Mom, are you there?"

She took his hand. "I'm here, Fox, you'll be all right."

He turned to her voice. "It isn't really all my fault, is it?"

She fell silent. _I know what Bill wants me to say, but I can't, not when he's like this._

He shivered. "Mom? Do you think I let them have Sam too?"

_Poor lamb. All you think about is your sister._ "No, Fox, it isn't your fault at all. You tried your best, but they were too powerful. So just rest now." She watched the sad eyes close. "I'll be here for you, don't worry."

They flew open at the same time the door did, then the boy tried to push away the image of a male figure in the entrance with both hands. But while the left arm was straight as it beat the air, the other was bent at a right angle, in a thick cast that enclosed it from the shoulder to partway up the fingers.

Mulder cringed. "No, not Dad, please!" When the face registered in his waking mind, the boy's panic left him. "Oh, it's you." His eyes shut again, the limb in the cast dropped on his stomach, while the undamaged arm fell to his side.

The man extinguished his cigarette in the standing ashtray outside the door. _The boy is in worse shape than I feared._ He rested a hand on Caroline's shoulder. "How bad is it?"

She looked up at him. _He's changed since we last met. Whatever this work is, these men are becoming strangers to me._ "He was bleeding internally when I brought him in. They operated immediately after the X-rays to stabilize him, so he'll recover, but Bill broke his own son's arm!"

The Smoking Man bent over the sleeping boy's face. "No concussion? These bruises look very painful."

She moved to the opposite side of the bed. _I wonder if he'll help us now?_ "A mild one, no more." As he walked around to stand beside her, she stroked the brown hair. "Poor dove, he was moaning on the floor when I arrived." Caroline grasped the man by the forearm. "You have to help me stop this. I don't know if I will reach Fox in time if this happens again."

He looked over at her. _I should have spoken up. I should have told you how I feel about you._ "He's a trooper, Caroline, he'll survive more than you think he can." They looked over as he tried to speak. "Let's continue in the hall; he needs his rest."

They stepped out of the room, but she stayed on the other side of the doorway in case her son awoke, then called for her again.

The Smoking Man stood close to his former colleague. "You know what you have to do, don't you, Caroline? You should divorce him, so Fox will be yours alone if you want." When he took in her look of stark terror, he wanted to hold her gently, to confess his feelings for her.

"But, I'm not a citizen! If I leave Bill, he'll have me deported, and who will look out for Fox then?"

He fingered the cigarette pack in his pocket. _Not now, we need to talk._ "I'll sponsor you, Caroline, so you can become one. You'll have no problem with the literacy requirements; you could pass those in seven different languages, if you had to. You *will* have to learn more American History, and the Constitution."

She frowned. "But the restrictions on Eastern European Jews, won't they disqualify me if I'm too late in the year?"

He shook his head. "I'll make sure you're counted under the quota, Caroline. I have friends in high places." He waved his hand towards the sleeping boy. "Do it for him, if not for yourself, all right?" As she nodded, he patted her shoulder. "Good. I'll call you Monday to give you the names of some people who can tutor you."

She touched his elbow. "One last thing, would you check on Bill for me, to make sure he's stopped drinking this time? I couldn't leave Fox alone."

"Certainly. I think Bill and I have much to discuss." He screwed up his courage to kiss her gently on the cheek. "Take care of yourself. I'll be in touch on Monday, okay?" Holding her elbow, he caressed her arm with his thumb until she, with a sigh, agreed.

Waving as he left, she turned to step back into the room.

He lifted a white cylinder out of the cellophane-wrapped pack, then lit the end. _Perhaps there's still hope for me yet._

-o-0-o-

Miami, Florida  
Wednesday, January 8, 1997  
10:27 am

Dana Scully stared at her partner's mother. The older woman had taken her by the arm as they walked, in a gesture much like what she expected from him, so Scully thought nothing of it. "Does Mulder know any of this? He's only ever told me that you two were separated. Did you go through with the divorce?"

Caroline shook her head. "I can tell you, but it would be very painful to have to relate all this to him, and I'd like for Fox to have some pleasant memories of his Father." Caroline studied the wheeling and diving pelicans as they walked along. "We decided on legal separation, Dana, mostly for his sake, after I became a citizen. Divorce wasn't the easy procedure it is today; there would have been lengthy court appearances and articles in the local paper. Since adultery wasn't involved, Fox would have had to have been put on the stand and testify to the abuse as a justification for ending the marriage."

The two women exchanged a glance.

A pair of auburn brows arched. "I know. Mulder is tough as nails when he wants to be, and so terribly sensitive about some things." She looked out over the water. "I don't think he would have handled it very well."

Caroline stopped. "We should head back, Dana." They reversed their direction, she taking the younger woman's arm again.

Scully smiled at her action. "In these days of heightened sensitivity to any action that might be construed as sexual harassment, it took a while for me to become accustomed to Mulder doing that."

The older woman was puzzled. "What?"

Scully looked up at Caroline for a moment. "The gestures: the hand on my back, holding doors for me, touching me when he wanted my attention. When we first worked together, the last thing I expected from Spooky Mulder were Old World manners."

While the eyes told Scully her partner's Mother was recalling happier times, the older woman's face was mottled. "Oh, those. He was always so careful with Sam, they were almost instinctive for him." Glancing down at her hand, tucked through the younger woman's arm, she sighed. "I was so used to these in Vienna, all the hugs and touches my family shared were how I expected people to behave. But in this country, physical contact usually only means one thing."

Scully nodded. "I know. That was one way I knew we were in trouble, when they stopped." She noticed the older woman was frowning. "What is it, Caroline?"

"I've been so distant from him, I shouldn't pry, but my curiosity has the better of me. How did he get that name?"

"Oh, the Spooky? That was from his days in ..."

"Behavioral Sciences?"

Scully nodded. "It was something of a grudging compliment on his ability to profile serial killers. He was *so* good at getting inside their heads, it was, well, you understand. Since he's a little sensitive about it, I've never used it around Mulder."

Caroline pondered this new fact about her son in silence.

The pathologist stopped, drawing the older woman's attention to her. "Caroline, did he really make you and Mr. Mulder call him Mulder?"

Caroline gazed at the water for a moment. "He tried. I did for a while, until I was so angry with Bill I couldn't even bear to hear his name spoken. When I became a citizen, I legally took Podhowitz back, so I wouldn't have to use Mulder."

They resumed walking.

Squeezing Scully's arm momentarily, Caroline smiled. "Oh, look, there's Margaret. It appears she's worn out that fuzzy child of yours, Dana."

The little dog's tongue hung out as he panted under Mrs. Scully's arm. The three women waved, then they met up before returning to the house together.

With an agent's eye, Scully observed Max, waiting by the pool. Absent the bushy white mustache, her partner's stepfather looked much as she imagined Mulder would in his seventies, if he lived that long. The older man's tall form was still lean, his deeply lined face topped by an unruly shock of thick white hair.

Max beamed when they stepped onto the slate deck. "Ladies! I was afraid we two crusty bachelors had driven you away!"

As her husband wrapped an arm around her waist, Caroline kissed him. "You're no bachelor anymore, you old tease. Where's that lazy boy of mine, still snoozing?"

Nodding, Max turned to the two Scully women. "How are you liking my wonderful beach?" They smiled, which was all the response he needed. "Glad you could both be here. The house has been too quiet over the years."

Dana Scully collected her book as she walked to the sliding glass door. "My partner's had enough beauty rest for one night. If he stays there too long, he'll be no good on stakeouts when we return to DC."

After she entered, Caroline turned to Margaret, pulling Max around with her. "Margaret?"

"Yes, Caroline?"

"Have a seat, please, we'd like to talk to you about Fox and Dana."

Margaret looked from one to the other. _Oh, well._

-o-0-o-

Dana Scully poked her head inside the bedroom Max had dragged Mulder into for what remained of the night. _That's a relief. He can't sleep on a sofa all his life._ Like the other private spaces in the house, this one had its own attached bathroom, with a spectacular view of the ocean through a wall of windows. But the heavy drapes were drawn, the tall man twisted up in the sheets muttering to himself, so Scully entered, before closing the door soundlessly. _The last thing he needs is a nightmare here._ She crossed to sit on his bed, laid the book beside her, then took him by the shoulders. "Mulder?" She spoke quietly, hoping to revive him gently.

He rolled into a ball against her, gasping and shivering.

Scully rubbed his back until he shook off whatever horror had tormented him and awoke.

He was still bleary-eyed when he called out the name of the person he trusted most. "Scully?"

Supporting her partner while he righted himself, she smoothed down his hair, spiky from having been slept on. "It's okay, Mulder, you're safe now." She rested her hand on the gauze taped to his side. "How do you feel today?"

He settled back into the pillows. "Better, it still hurts, but it's better. I'm glad you're here, Scully." He touched her knee. "I think Max likes me."

She nodded. "He does, Mulder. He sat in the kitchen in Annapolis with my Mom and me to pump us for clues as to how to get along with you. He wants things to work out as your stepfather." Moving closer, she traced one of the scars on his stomach. "I've spent the morning with your Mother, Mulder, and we talked about that." She was surprised when he covered her hand with his own, keeping hers in contact with his skin.

His eyes were dark. "Don't tell anyone else, please?"

She nodded. "I understand. If this part of your past stays there, it's just as well."

His face registered relief at her acquiescence. "Yeah. The false abuse stories have made this topic almost a cliche, but given what other rumors float around at the Bureau, I don't need this bandied about too." He closed his fingers around her palm. "Thanks."

They let silence settle comfortably upon them, until Scully's chin dropped momentarily on her chest.

When he shook her fingers gently, her eyes flew open to view his look of amused concern and gratitude, so she responded quickly, hoping to keep him at ease. "Sorry, Mulder, sitting down feels too good. I must be more worn out than I thought."

He nodded. "At least we have the rest of this week to recover. You should try to kick back, Scully. We'll be busy with the move and interviews almost as soon as we return to DC."

She shrugged. "I suppose I can tell our parents you're up."

Mulder's hazel eyes twinkled mischievously. _I'm okay, Scully._ "But Doctor, there's up, and, ..." He took a firmer hold of her hand.

She pulled it away quickly. "Mulder!"

Grinning, he slid out of the other side of the bed. "Right. See you in a few."

Unconsciously falling into the good guest behavior Margaret had instilled in all her children, she stood and flipped the sheets back in place. "Knock on my door when you're done with your shower, and I'll retape that side for you." Ignoring his smirk, she headed for the exit into the hall.

"Ooh, Scully, you want me to visit you in a state of undress with our parents around?"

As he waited in the bathroom entrance, she tossed her head and faced him, her hand on the doorknob. "You can walk in naked for all I care. But remember, I *do* carry a full set of surgical scalpels with me at all times." She turned away and left before she laughed out loud at his pinched expression. _One for you, Dana._

-o-0-o-

The women were sitting on the edge of the fountain between the house and the garden.

Max knelt to stroke the thick fur on the Pomeranian. _Poor little guy. You grow in a coat to see you through snow and ice, then your Mom brings you down to where it's almost summer._

As Caroline paused, Margaret Scully nodded. "Yes, I *understand* what you're trying to say to me, but how can you be certain? Fox was so lost when she was gone, it was as if he were mourning her, and that's not something two people who are 'just partners' do."

Wishing to move past the subject of their disagreement, the white-haired woman took her hand. "We appreciate all you've done for him, Margaret. I didn't really know who Dana Scully was until she walked up and introduced herself at Bill's funeral. I've been too detached from my own son since Sam was taken. I realized that when he and I stood in his Father's study and he shouted at me about 'finding my sister' as if she weren't my own flesh and blood."

Max rose to join the women. "That's the key, you see, Margaret, Dana's disappearance resonates with that other loss in his life, and he obsesses over the two until they fuse in his mind." He dropped a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Neither of us is saying we don't want your daughter and our son to be happy together."

Caroline smiled over at her new husband. _I'm so glad you want to claim him as your own, Max._

He returned his wife's expression before he continued. "But it has to take the form they need it to, when the time is right for them, which, as with anyone, may not be when and what we old folks think it should. Let them find their own way. I hate to say this, but, because of the nature of their work, they may never be able to lead the normal lives we have enjoyed." As Caroline nodded vigorously in agreement, Max sat down on the fountain's edge behind his new wife to hug her. "Believe me, Margaret, I understand just what a precious thing normalcy is."

The three turned at the sound of a latch being thrown back. Mulder had stepped aside to usher Scully out the back door.

She was frowning at something he had just said. "But Mulder, there was only evidence for *microbes* found on that meteorite. We don't know that higher forms of life on other planets need to even look *faintly* like bipedal humans with faces on the front of their heads. So why all the starving child figures with cat's eyes?" She poked one of the 'Hear no evil/See no evil/Speak no evil' aliens on his grey T-shirt. "These may be all cultural myths passed down through whispered stories, reappearing as dream images."

He moved in front of her, taking hopping steps backward in his determination to convince her. "Scul-lee, *maybe* those legends and tales reflect the presence of visiting extraterrestrials throughout our development as a species. Did you ever think of that?"

Stopping in her tracks, she stood, arms akimbo. "Ancient Astronauts again, after what we both think we saw down in Chiapas?" She snorted, then glanced at their parents. "Later, this is too much like work, and we're here to 'kick back', partner." She arched both her eyebrows, waiting while he decoded her unspoken message.

Mulder looked over sheepishly as he apologized to the group gathered by the fountain. "Sorry, it's a bad habit. Say, the Red Menace looks pretty pooped."

The little dog was stretched out, asleep in the sun.

His partner clucked. "He's just hot." She walked over to lift the fuzzy canine off the tiles. "I'll take him back inside to Mom's room and give him some water." She looked to Margaret for permission, who nodded. "I'll be back."

Mulder held the door for her, wondering why the Lowenbergs and Margaret Scully were so quiet. "Are you okay?"

They chorused an affirmation in response.

When his partner reappeared, the two fell in step as they headed for the beach, resuming their discussion. The tall agent was barefoot, but wearing a old pair of khaki shorts, so his mother knew he was not healed enough to try swimming.

Max waited until they left to speak. "Well, Caroline and I have some reception details to attend to. What do you think, Margaret, lights or candles all around the dance area?"

She smiled. "Lights, definitely. All the greenery could catch fire if we celebrate too heartily." Max graciously extended his hand to Margaret.

Caroline rose. "An uncontrolled blaze right after one of the very few Temple Services my boy has ever attended is the last thing he needs, Maximillian David Lowenberg. Just having Miriam Jenkins in his vicinity will be bad enough."

Max nodded. "Lights it is, then." He offered his wife and her friend each an arm, then the three began circling the grounds, discussing the upcoming festivities.

-o-Finis-o-

Time Out of Joint

=====o===========================================o=====

Originally released to ATXC: 8/29/96

Author's End Notes: This set of scenes took place during the events of _Twelfth Night_, and were referenced early in _Rustic Suite_, but, as I began working on the Dana Scully Trilogy, I wanted to write them out explicitly. The phrase the title is based on is as you can see, also from _Hamlet_, not that I consider Mulder the equivalent of the Melancholy Dane (although there are many similarities), or Max that of Claudius. If anyone, Bill Mulder himself is the power-hungry Claudius who killed the Father in his own nature.

=====o===========================================o=====


End file.
